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Training Camp
A sampling of leadership retreats plans from across the country
Greater Lansing Association of Realtors (1,474 members)
Contact: Elaine B. West, CEO
Attendance: 18, plus speakers. Current and incoming directors, CEO, and executive manager.
Time & Place: From Nov. 30 - Dec. 1. Brook Lodge, Augusta, Mich.; retreat facility with cottages, conference center, and dining.
Cost: Association: $8,000. Attendees: $0. No spouses. We pay transportation.Favorite speakers: Richard Flint, Jeremy Conaway, Richard Mendenhall, Jim Manke.
Mission: 1) To facilitate bonding with new directors. 2) To discuss leadership tools and plans for the year. 3) To brainstorm and discuss industry trends and issues of concern.
Agenda: The first day, we usually have an outside speaker. Time permitting; we have breakout sessions in the afternoon. The early evening is for our cocktail reception and playing team-building games. The new directors really start to loosen up at dinner and get even more comfortable with one another playing cards or chess during the after-dinner free time. The second day is a workhorse day, but bolstered by the previous night's festivities, the contribution rate is 300 percent better. We review our programs, products, and services and discuss where we want the association to go in the next year. We also consider if we want to assign any special responsibilities to our committees based on the fruits of the planning session. We also review all programs and services.
Benefit: The association leadership is stronger and more focused. By having the opportunity to reflect on current programs, we are better able to shape future programs.
Knox County Board of Realtors, Ohio (105 members)
Contact: Kathaleen L. Mathews, EO, Knox County
Mansfield Board of Realtors¨, Ohio (283 members)
Contact: Barbara Murray, EO, Mansfield
Attendance: About 32. Both associations' AEs, board of directors, officers, and committee chairs.
Time & Place: One day at the end of January. Mohican State Park Lodge and Resort, Perrysville, Ohio; a very relaxing business-like atmosphere.
Cost: Association: $900, equally divided between both associations. Attendees: $0. Favorite speakers: Don Freels, CEO, Ohio Association of Realtors¨.
Mission: 1) To have officers (both new and seasoned), committee chairs, and the AEs gather together to review their responsibilities. 2) To gain a better understanding of the functions of the local, state, and national association. 3) To learn to work as a team.
Benefit: Attendees have the opportunity to learn about each other, the board and its purpose, how things get done at boards, and how to turn others on (or off) to board involvement. We make people believe that it is in their best interest to follow us by effectively communicating positive visions.
Memphis Area Association of Realtors, Tenn. (3,924 members)
Contact: Carol C. Foote, Leadership Development
Attendance: 20. Directors for the following year (13-14 people), EO and six staff directors of our main service areas (at the discretion of the incoming president).
Time & Place: Mid-October, early-afternoon Sunday to noon Tuesday. Lake Hamilton Resort, Hot Springs, Ark.
Cost: Association: $12,500. Attendee: $0. No spouses.speakers: Past local or state presidents, Jeremy Conaway. Meetings and discussions are led by the incoming president.
Mission: 1) Team building and bonding. 2) Getting everyone on the same page regarding: current trends and issues facing the association at local, state, and national levels; local programs; and policies and procedures. 3) Learn president's goals and directors' expectations. 4) Identify challenges for the coming year.
Agenda: Pre-retreat survey responses are used in tailoring the agenda. Some of the responses also are used in an icebreaker exercise after dinner on the first night.
Benefit: The respect earned and trust built at these retreats (director to director and staff to director) seem to take us miles in the board room and in committee meetings. They seem more comfortable making decisions and feel free to voice opinions because of the increased level of respect. Also, by identifying challenges for the year ahead at the retreat, we are able to face them head-on and work together with the committee chairmen to make positives changes within the association.
Placer County Association of Realtors, Calif. (1,956 members)
Contact: Johanna M. Cunningham, CEO
Attendance: 27. Board of Directors, asst. EVP, executive asst., and the GAD
Time & Place: 1.5 days in mid-winter. Small hotel in Georgetown, Calif.; In fact, we take the entire hotel.Cost: Association: $1,800. Attendees: $0 (We do not recommend that spouses attend.)speakers: No speakers. AE facilitation.
Mission: 1) To establish working guidelines and goals. 2) To study issues facing the association. 3) To further create value for our membership.
Agenda: 1) Lunch and welcome. 2) Review binder contents. 3) Communication strategies. 4) Icebreaker. 5) Review previous year's strategic plan. 6) GAD report. 7) Team-building exercises, such as Tennis ball challenge. 8) Identify upcoming year's issues and top 3 priorities. 9) Breakdown of issues. 10) Identify tasks, barriers. 11) Professional standards and ethics video presentation.
Benefit: The retreat provides the opportunity for elected leadership to get to know each other on a personal level. The discussions about how each person will participate and "show-up" as a board member help create more productive board meetings. The retreat also yields logical and strategic goals for the year. This positive and nurturing environment cultivates more comfort, a higher level of involvement and a great drive for leadership.
Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties, Pa. (993 members)
Contact: Beth Izzo, Communications Director
Attendance: 30. Board, committee chairs, and staff.
Time & Place: One day in October or November. Sam & Tony's, a local restaurant with a meeting facility
Cost: Association: $2,200. Attendee: $0
Speakers: Ace Adventure Challenge was the facilitator. They offer team-building training in several unique ways: physical team challenges, scavenger hunts, and more.
Mission: 1) To foster team building and networking. 2) To provide an orientation for the leadership team.
Agenda: This year was the first year we offered a morning scavenger hunt to solve a mystery in downtown York. We had many positive recommendations from other groups that used this game. It turned out to be one of the best team-building sessions we've done in years. Afternoon agenda consists of a leadership orientation and goal setting.
Pinellas Realtor Organization, St. Petersburg, Fla. (6,369 members)
Contact: Ann Guiberson, CEO
Attendance: 30-35. Current board of directors, newly elected officers and directors, leading brokers in the association, and key association staff.
Time & Place: One and three-quarters days in October.Ritz Carlton, Sarasota, Fla.
Cost: Association: $3,000 plus $2,500 - $3,000 for facilitator. Attendees: $0. Spouses currently welcome free of charge.
Favorite Speakers: Jeremy Conaway, Anne Bailey, Steve Murray. We always have an outside speaker or facilitator plus staff speakers.
Mission: 1) To identify and establish the top 10 issues, goals, and objectives for the coming year. 2) To facilitate bonding among the new board members and establish continuity. 3) To get the association board, executive staff, and key volunteers on the same page regarding member attitudes, industry and economic trends, and directions. 4) To provide a relaxed forum in which the board and the executive staff can consider, evaluate, and debate issues of industry and organizational substance. 5) To encourage the incoming leadership to connect and solidify as a governing team. 6) To allow the current and future chairmen of the board an opportunity to begin the leadership transition process.
Benefit: This is a dynamic, powerful, and unifying event for our leadership. It has enabled our association to not only focus on what is really important to our membership but also ensure that we have the financial and human resources necessary to execute the strategies that will have a visible and measurable impact. Ultimately, members believe in the relevancy of the association and have renewed trust in and respect for the association.
Belleville Area Association of Realtors, Ill. (574 members),
Egyptian Board of Realtors¨, Ill. (493 members), and
Greater Gateway Association of Realtors¨, Ill. (880 members)
Contact: Dorothy Hamson, EO, Egyptian Board
Attendance: 39. Officers, directors, AEs, and board staff.
Time & Place: Dec. 10, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rend Lake Seasons, Whittington, Ill.; a golf course complex with meeting rooms and restaurant. Cost: Association: $4,137, plus meals divided equally among the associations for a total expense per board of $1,550. Attendees: $0.
Speakers: Bob Harris, Kim Daugherty. plus, the Illinois Association of Realtors secretary-treasurer for an IAR and NAR update.
Mission: To help elected leaders and staff become more knowledgeable about their local board, state and national policies, procedures, goals, and objectives.
Agenda: Topics presented in various sessions include: Association Nuts and Bolts; Board Responsibility and Accountability; Risk Management for the Association; Board Tools; Knowledge is Power; Effective Committees; Best Practices at Board Meetings; and Association Challenges, Mission, Values, Goals, Business Plan.
Benefit: Leaders are special, so it is our desire that their leadership experience be meaningful. By making our retreat a shared service, we are able to feature national speakers and enhance the training of our leaders, which is not possible for individual boards to afford to do this on their own. There is power in numbers.
Columbus Board of Realtors, Ohio (6,055 members)
Contact: Marque Bressler, Communications Director
Attendance: 60. Staff, officers, directors, committee chairs, and a few liaisons (members from smaller boards that have merged with Columbus but who continue to maintain a local presence). Time & Place: 24 hours (noon-noon) in January. Mohican Lodge, Mohican State Park, Ohio. Cost: Association: $14,000. Attendees: $0. No spouses or guests.
Favorite speakers: Alec Hagerty, Harvey Alston. Generally we either have one keynote speaker and a guest facilitator or two keynotes and an internal facilitator.
Mission: 1) To train our leaders and help them form a cohesive team. 2) To help directors and chairs to know and understand what the other is doing. 3) To plan for the year ahead.
Agenda: We do a themed retreat each year and our leaders love it. Last year, we had a summer camp theme. Our retreat began with Camper Check-in where attendees received Camp Counselor shirts, bandannas, and a manual full of rosters, bylaws, expectations, articles, etc. The rest of the agenda included: Arts and Crafts (make-your-own camp momento kits provided); Mess Tent (lunch); ÔThinking Outside the Tent' (speaker); Be the Best Leader You Can Be (motivational speaker); Guess What's in Our Strat Plan (group skits); Committee Pow-Wow (brainstorming); Tenderfoot Training (first timers); Recreation (songs around a campfire); and Canteen (snack time).
Benefit: By providing this dedicated time and space in which people can get to know each other, leaders are are less distracted and better able to foster mutual trust and respect, which improves the directorial decision-making process. We get to see firsthand who the future leaders are.
Hawaii Association of Realtors (7,815 members)
Contact: Denise Motohiro, Communications Specialist
Attendance: 90. State association officers, directors, committee chairs, and staff. Local AEs and their leadership.
Time & Place: Two-days in January. Hyatt Regency Maui Resort, Lahaina
Cost: Association: $11,000. Attendee: $0 registration. Attendees receive a $100 room stipend. Guests/spouses: $135.
Favorite Speakers: Leslie Appleton-Young.
Mission: HAR strives to present volunteers with the big picture for the coming year by 1) providing timely information about the national and local trends which will affect our association; 2) educating members about the functions of the local, state, and national association; 3) presenting members with HAR's goals and objectives for the year.
Agenda: Keynote Speaker and lunch with Ann Pettijohn, California Association of Realtors president, on "Why Make a Difference?" Leadership Sessions: Joel Singer, California Association of Realtors chief executive officer, on "How to Make a Difference: Listening to Your Members"; Scott Sherley, Hawaii Association of Realtors president, on "Working Together To Make a Difference; real estate commissioners John Ohama and Trudy Nishihara on "Working with the Real Estate Commission." Round table sessions. Installation reception and dinner with speaker Gary Thomas, National Association of Realtors regional vice president. Economic outlook and continental breakfast with Leslie Appleton-Young, California Association of Realtors vice president and chief economist. Board of directors meeting.
Benefit: One attendee summed it up best by saying that the retreat sets the stage for the year, not only the direction but also the spirit of teamwork, with bonding of all levels.
Georgia Association of Realtors (28,222 members)
Contact: Ellen H. Shea, Director of Meetings & Conventions
Attendance: 225. State committee chairman, state committee vice chairman, local association presidents and president-elects as well as other local board officers.
Time & Place: Two one-day conferences in October. We have two conferences in 2004; one in north Georgia (at Chateau Elan Winery and Resort, Braselton) and one in south Georgia (at the Macon Centreplex in Macon).
Cost: Association: $15,300. Attendee $15 ($25 onsite).
Favorite speakers: Adorna Carroll, Norm Flynn,and Tom Martin. Typically the president serves as facilitator.
Mission: 1) To educate newly elected officers and committee chairmen about their duties and responsibilities for the upcoming year. 2) To facilitate networking among those who serve on other local boards in the same capacity. 3) To inspire attendees to get excited about the new leadership challenges that await them.
More Leadership Retreat Guides:
Forward-Thinking Leadership Retreats: How to get the most out of your annual leadership get-togethers, by Steve Bergsman
Speaker Search Strategies: 10 tips for finding and delivering the right speaker for your association education event. Access at www.realtor.org/realtorae.nsf/pages/retreat
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